Coupling device



June 16, 1936.`

E. scHUL'rHEss COUPLING DEVICE Filed`F'eb. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Shes?l l WITNESS INVENTOR 7g y?? ERNEST SC//UL//Ess MV1/HMM ATTORNEYS June 16, 1936. E. scHuLTHEss COUPLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v mvENTR ERA/Es r .SCHL/L mass ATTORNEYS wrm Ess Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Clalms.

This invention relates to coupling devices and more particularly to coupling devices for use in making hose and/or pipe connections.

The object of the invention is to provide an 5 eicient, simply constructed and durable coupling device that can be quickly and easily connected to or disengaged from s. hose or pipe without the use of special tools or equipment. Another object of the invention is to provide a coupling lo that will form asafe, positive, leak-proof connection between a exible hose an'd a pipe or stationary outlet and which will not loosen its grip on or rupture the hose while in use.

Other objects and advantages as well as the novel details of construction of this invention will become apparent after a consideration of the-description hereinbelow set forth taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and after a perusal of the appended claims.

- A particular embodiment of my improved coupling is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views and in which Fig. 1 showsa central vertical cross-section of a coupling constructed according to the invention connecting one end of a hose to a pipe or outlet; Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the several parts of the coupling in position for connecting the hose to the'pipe or outlet.; Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive, constitute an unassembled view of the various parts of the coupling shown in Fig. 1, in which Fig. 5 is a central vertical crosssection of the tail part or outer end portion of the female member of the coupling; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wedging sleeve or ring which is supported in the female member; Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section of the main body portion of the female member of the coupling; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sleeve or ring which is mounted on the end of the hose; Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-section of the male member of the coupling; Fig. 10 illustrates a modified construction of the male member of the coupling; and Fig. 11 is a right end view of the male member of the coupling.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings in which a. coupling` constructed according to the invention is shown connecting a exible hose I to a pipe or outlet 2, the reference character 3 generally designates the male member of such coupling which is preferably made of an integral piece of brassbut may also tion l which may be provided with a male or female thread depending upon whether the pipe or outlet to which it is to beconnected is internally or externally threaded. In the embodiment shown, the end portion 4 is provided with a 5 screw thread I on the outer periphery thereof which is adapted to screw into the screw thread 6 provided on the inner periphery of the outlet 2. Integrally associated with the inner end of the threaded portion l is an outwardly extending 1o annular shoulder 1 having an octangularly shaped'outer edge, as is clearly shown in Fig. 11. so that the male member 3 may be screwed in place in the end of the outlet 2 by means of a wrench. 'I'he thread 5 on the end portion 4 pref- 15 erably extends up to the vbase of the shoulder 'I so that when the male member 3 is screwed in position on theoutlet 2, the face 8 of the shoulder I tightly abuts against the outer end of the outlet, as shown in Fig. 1. A cylindrical portion 20 or shank 9 is integrally associated with vthe shoulder 1 and the inner end of the threaded portion 4 and together with the latter forms a passageway I0 extending longitudinally through the center of the malemember 3 and through 25 which ows the :duid in its passage from the outlet 2 to the hose I. As shown in Fig. 1, the diameter of the passageway is the same throughout its length and preferably is approximately the same as the inside diameter of the outlet 2 so 30 that the ow of uid through the male member 3 is unobstructed.

An annular recess II circumscriblng the shank 9 is formed between the latter and an annular externally threaded wall I2 integrally attached 35 at its inner end to the outer end portion of the shoulder 1, such wall being disposed in parallel relation with the cylindrical wall of the shank 3 so as to be concentric therewith. y The distance between the outer periphery of the shank 9 and 40 the inner periphery of the annular wall I2 is slightly greater than the combined thickness of the wall of the hose I and the expansible and contractible sleeve or ring I3 when the latter is mounted in position on the end of the hose I 45 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so that the end portion of the hose together with the ring I3 may be readily inserted in position in the annular recess I I. The annular wall I2 is shorter in length than the shank 9, as is clearly shown in Fig. 9, for a 5o purpose which will be hereinafter explained. The ring I3 which is split in. order that its diameter may be varied is made of steel or any other suitable material 'and is preferably shorter in width than the depth of the recess I I so that when the parts of the coupling are assembledit is contained entirely within the recess, as shown in Fig. 1. The compression ring I3 is preferably split in such manner that it will completely encircle the outer periphery of the hose when in position thereon yet may be compressed or reduced in diameter on the hose without any of its parts overlapping. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and particularly in Fig. 8, the ring I3 consists of anv annular sleeve-like member made of steel which has been cut or split so that two arcuately curved tongues or extensions I4, each being substantially one-half the width of the ring;

are formed adjacently each other. As shown in the drawings, the outer ends of the adjacently aligned extensions I4 are normally spaced from the body portion ofthe ring. With this construction, the diameter of the ring may be varied from its normal size to accommodate-variousV sized hose while yet completely encircling the outer periphery of the hose on which it is mounted and while in position thereon may be appreciably decreased in diameter without the ends I4 thereof coming into overlapping relation on the body of the ring.l While I have shown and described an annular split ring having adjacently aligned arcuately shaped-extensions to accomplish this result it is obvious that other constructions, such as a spirally cut ring, may also be used to equal advantage. The size and thickness of the ring I3 that isto be mounted on'the end of the hose is determined by the size of the hose and the thickness of the material constituting the wall of the hose.` I

A second expansible -and contnzctible ring I5 A, in the assembled condition of the partsencircles seats in a recess provided in the female member as will be later explained and the ring is split or slotted diagonally. acrssits entire width and through the shoulder I3 so that the ring may be contracted or expanded. Therecess II andthe rings I3 and I5v are so dimensioned with respect to the hose that is being connected Yto the pipe or outlet 2 that the end portion of the hose and the rings I3vand I5 are tightly wedged together in the recess, the ring Il'encircling and tightly compressing the ring I3 around the outer periphery of the hose and into anchored relation therewith and jamming the inner periphery of the hose tightly against'the outer periphery of the shank 3. The outer peripheralsurface of the shank 9 may be ksmooth or provided with indentations inthe vnature of corrugations or serrations I1, as

Ashown in Fig. 9, so-that a portion of the material of which the hose is constituted is pressed into and anchored in such serrations thereby preventing any possibility of the hose slipping out from the recess II while in use. Ina modified form, the indented portion ofthe shank may be in the form of a depressed spiral groove I8, as shown in Fig. 10, which in addition to serving as a' means for anchoring the hose in the coupling, also enables the hoseto be easily removed from the male member 3 when the hose is to-be uncoupled, by unscrewing the male member therefrom. The form and depthofthe indentations -in 4the outer peripheral surface of the shank 9 are governed by the diameter of the hose, the thickness of its walls and the type of material of which the walls are made so that a positive and secure anchorage will be provided for the hose whether it be made 5 of rubber or cotton with rubber lining or metal lined with rubber and fabric and/or rubber covered. The shank 9 is preferably made of sufficient length to extend appreciably beyond the outer end of; the ring I3 when the parts are l0 assembled in position in the recess I I, as shown in Fig. 1, to afford a better grip on the hose and atL the same time to maintain at a minimum the stresses produced on that portion of the hose wall adjacent to the outer end of the ring I3, l5 by causing anyilexing or bending strains on the Ahose wall to be absorbed by that portion of the lhose wall adjacent the outer end of the shank 9, thus materially lessenlng the possibility of rupture of the hose wall adjacent the'outer end 20 of the ring I3 and prolonging the life of the ho'se. Threadedly engaging the outer wall I2 of the recess II is an internally threaded female member I9 made of brass or any other suitable metal and comprising an annular body portion or union 25 20 and a tail or end portion 2|. The inner end portion of the tail part 2| is provided with a male thread 22 which screws into the female thread 23 provided on the outer end portion of the union member 20. An octangularly shaped 39 shoulder 24 is provided on thetail part 2| so that the latter may be screwed tightly in place on the union member 20 by means of a wrench. When the union member 20 and the tail part 2| are in assembled condition, as shown in Fig. 1, an annular recess or groove 25 is formed on the inner periphery of the female member I9 between the inner end\-26 of the tail part 2| and an inwardly extending annular shoulder 21 provided on the union member 20. The recess 25 is adapted to 40 seat the flange I6 of the expansible and compressible ring I5 which is placed in position in the union member 20 before the tail part 2| is screwed in place thereon. 'Ihus with this arrangement the ring I5 is slidably inserted into or removed from the recess II when the female member I9 is screwed or unscrewed, respectively, on the outer wall I2 of the recess I I .by means of the inner end 26 of the tail part 2| and the annular shoulder 21, respectively, which abut against and 50 force the flange I6,of the ring I5 in the direction that the female member is moving'. The outer end 28 of the wall I2 is beveled to guide the ring 'I5 into the recess II when the female member I9 is screwed on the wall I2 and the outer edge 29 of the .ring I3 is beveled away from the wall I2 to guide the ring. I5 into encircling position on the ring I3 as. it is slidably inserted into the recess II., -The inner edge 30 of the ring I5 is also beveled, being preferably double beveled, to '6'0"- enable the ring to be readily inserted into wedging position between the ring I3 and the outer wall I2 of the recess II as it is moved inwardly under the influence of the end 26 of the tail part 2|. The ring I5 is suiilciently wide so that when 65 it is inserted in position in the recess I I with 4its inner end abuttingv against or lying closely adjacent `to the. end wall of the recess, as shown in Fig. 1, the flange I6 is positioned beyond the outer end of the wall I2 of the recess II to provide 70 sumcient space therebetween for the annular shoulder 21 formed on the inner periphery of the female member I 9. The latter is provided with an octangulaly shaped shoulderv 3| .as is clearly shown-in-Fig. 2, so that it may be Iscrewed or unscrewed on the male member 3 by means of a wrench. Y

In coupling the flexible hose I to the pipe 3,

the male member 3 is rst screwed ontothe end of the pipe 2 and secured tightly in place thereon by the application of a wrench to the nut-shaped shoulder I thereof. 'I'he parts of the female member I9 are then assembled by inserting the ring I5 into the outer end of the union member so that the free end of the ring extends out toward the inner end of the female member I9, the flange I6 thereof abutting against the outer face of the annular shoulder 21. preferably has an inside diameter only slightly greater than the external diameter of the ring I5 so that the latter is supported in the female member I9 substantially parallel with the threaded portion 34 of the inner end of said member thereby holding the end 30 of the ring I5 in proper position for insertion between the ring I3 and the wall I2 of the recess II. After the tail part 2| is screwed tightly in position on the outer end of the union member 20, the female member I9 is slipped over the -end of the hose that is to be connected to the pipe 3 and the ring I3 then placed in position on the end portion of the hose, as shown in Fig. 3. The thickness of the wall of the hose and the kind of material of which it is made will govern the size and thickness of the ring I3 that is to be used so that when the coupling is assembled and connecting such hose .to

the pipe the properamount of compression will be exerted on the end portion of the hose to securely hold it in the coupling. The end portion of the hose together with the ring I3 is then forced over the shank 9 of the male member 3 of the coupling and into the annular recess II until the end ofthe hose abuts against the end wall of such recess. The female member I9 is then screwed on the outer periphery of the wall I2 by means of a wrench. As the female member is screwed into position on said wall, the ring I5.

is carried forward by said member and guided by the beveled end 28 of the wall I2 into the recess II. The beveled edge 30 of the ring I5 then enters the V-shaped space formed between the beveled edge 29 of the ring I3 and the inner periphery of outer wall I2 of the recess and under the force exerted by the end 26 of the tail part 2l on the outer face of the ange I6, forces its way between such members, compressing the ring I3 tightly around the outer periphery ofthe hose and firmly anchoring it therein. The inner periphery of the hose under the compression force of the ring I3 is wedged tightly against the outer periphery of the shank 9 and a portion of the material ofwhich the hose is constituted is pressed into and rmly anchored in the serratedA portion I'I of the'outer peripheral surface of the shank 9. The hose is thus-tightly gripped in place in the malemember 3 between the *icontractible ring I3 which exerts an even compressive pressure on the outer periphery thereof through the wedging ring I5 and the outer peripheral surface of the shank 9 in the indented portion of which a portion of the hose material is rxnly anchored andthe hose will remain in position in the recess II while in use regardless of the force with which the uid is forced through the hose and the amount of binding the hose will be subjected to. Due to the fact that the shank 9 extends beyond the compression ring I3 the hose is prevented from bending at the point where the compression ring ends thereby greatly minimizing the amount of strain on the end por- The shoulder 21 tion ofthe hose while in use. The shank 9 is beveled at 32 to prevent the end thereof from rupturingthe wall of the hose during bending of the same. The inner periphery of the tail part 2| is also tapered outwardly at 33 to give the I rhose a greater bending radius without tension or strain. These features of construction enable the hose to bend easily without tension or strain on the walls of the hose thus preventing rupture of such walls while in use and increasing the life l( of the hose. l

To uncouple the hose I from the pipe 2, the female member I9 is unscrewed from the outer wall I2 of the recess II by means'of a wrench, the yinwardly extending shoulder 21 thereof moving 1i outwardly into contact with the inner face of the ange I6 on the ring I5 and as the female member is unscrewed, forces the flange outwardly, thereby slidably removing the ring I5 from the recess II. When the ring I5 has been with- 20 drawn from the recess, the ring I3 is enabled to expand and release its pressure on the outer surface ol? the wall of'the hose and the hose may then be withdrawn from the recess by pulling outwardly on it or using a twisting motion if the 25 shank 9 is provided with a spiral groove such as shown in Fig. 10. While I have shown and described one particular construction and mode of utilizing the invention for the purpose of enabling a clear understanding to be obtained of the same, I do not wishr to limit myself to such; hence various changes in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention in order to render the invention susceptible of various uses as will be apparent to those familiar with coupling devices.

What is claimed is:

l. A coupling comprising a body section having an annular recess formed therein adapted to receive the end portion of a pipe, a contractible ring positioned in said recess and adapted to encircle the end portion of the pipe, and means coacting with said ring to tightly secure the end portion of the pipe in said recess, said means comprising a. coupling member internally threaded at one end to screw on the outer wall of said recess, and a contractible member carried within said coupling member in spaced relation with the interior wall of the latter, said contractible member being adapted to be positioned in said recess intermediate the outer wall thereof and said contractible ring when said coupling member is screwed in position on the outer wall of said recess and to uniformly contract said ring closely about the end portion of the pipe so that that portion of the pipe wall encircled by said contractible ring is uniformly and tightly pressed against the inner wall of said recess, said contractible member being rotatably supported in .said coupling member whereby said contractible member. is enabled to be slidably inserted into or removed from position in said recess when the coupling member is screwed or unscrewed respectively on the outer wall of said recess.

2. A coupling comprising a body section having an annular recess formed therein adapted to receive the end portion of a pipe, a contractible ring positioned in said recess and adapted to encircle the end portion of the pipe, and means coacting with said ring to tightly secure the end portion of the pipe in said recess, said means comprising a coupling member internally threaded at one end to screw on the outer wall nfsaid recess and provided with an interior annular groove adjacent its other end, and a contractible member supported within said coupling member and comprising a contractible sleeve portion spaced from the interior wall of said coupling member and adapted to be positioned in said recess intermediate the outer wall thereof and said contractible ring when said coupling member is screwed in position on the outer wall of said recess and `to uniformly contract said ring closely about the end portion oi' the pipe so that that portion of the pipe wall encircled byv said contractible ring is uniformly and tightly pressed against the inner wall of said recess, and an annular split ilange formed on one Aend of said sleeve portion and adapted to loosely seat in the annular groove of said coupling member whereby said contractible sleeve portion is enabled to be slidably inserted into or removed from position in said recess when the coupling member is screwed or unscrewed, respectively, on the outer wall of said recess.

-3. A coupling comprising a body section having an inner tubular shank adapted to enter the end portion ci' a pipe and provided with an outer an` nular portion concentrically disposed with relation to said tubular shank, said tubular shank and said annular portion constituting the inner and outer walls, respectively, of an annular recess formed therebetween and adapted to receive the end portion oi the pipe, a cylindrical contractible ring positioned in said recess and adapted to encircle the end portion of the pipe, a cylindrical contractible clamping member positioned i'n said recess intermediate the outer wall thereof and said contractible ring and surrounding the latter, said contractible member being adapted to uniformly contract said ring closely about the end portion of the pipe so that that portion of the pipewall encircled by said contractible ring is uniformly and tightly pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the tubular shank, an annular split flange formed on the outer end portion of said contractible member, and a coupling member rotatably connected with s the split flange on said contractible member for slidably inserting said member into or removing it from position in said recess.

4. A coupling such as set forth in claim 3 in which the coupling member is adapted to threadledly engage with the outer wall of said recess and includes an interior annular groove withinwhich the split nange on said cylindrical contractible member .is adapted to loosely seat so that as said coupling member is screwed or unl5- of saidv cylindrical portion being adapted to threadedly engage with the outer wall of said recess. and an annular end 'portidn threadedly engaging with the other end of said cylindrical portion, the inner edge of said annular end portion being spaced away from said inwardly extending shoulder so as to form an annular groove therebetween within which the split flange on said cylindrical contractible member is adapted toloosely seat so that as said coupling member is screwed or unscrewed on the outer wallof said recess, said contractible member is caused to be moved` longitudinally into or out of said recess.

mNas'r sommes. 

